It was a gutsy call that paid off, making Claude Noel look pretty darn good.

Isles defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky went off for interference with 2:08 to go in the third period, and the Jets head coach decided, with his team trailing 4-3, to pull goaltender Ondrej Pavelec.

It took the Jets just seven seconds to score. Bryan Little supplied the goal, but he wasn’t so sure about yanking Pavelec so soon.

“I was honestly a little surprised we pulled him with two minutes left,” Little said. “I thought it was a bit early, but we scored, so it worked out fine. We were playing to get the two points. We were playing desperate. It was a desperate move, and it worked out.”

Noel made no apologies for making the move so relatively early.

“We’re down by a goal. We got a power play. What are you going to do? Wait 40 seconds in and do it then?” Noel said. “I was just trying to win the game, trying to get a goal.”

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Gutsy play pays off for Winnipeg Jets

It was a gutsy call that paid off, making Claude Noel look pretty darn good.

Isles defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky went off for interference with 2:08 to go in the third period, and the Jets head coach decided, with his team trailing 4-3, to pull goaltender Ondrej Pavelec.

It took the Jets just seven seconds to score. Bryan Little supplied the goal, but he wasn’t so sure about yanking Pavelec so soon.

“I was honestly a little surprised we pulled him with two minutes left,” Little said. “I thought it was a bit early, but we scored, so it worked out fine. We were playing to get the two points. We were playing desperate. It was a desperate move, and it worked out.”

Noel made no apologies for making the move so relatively early.

“We’re down by a goal. We got a power play. What are you going to do? Wait 40 seconds in and do it then?” Noel said. “I was just trying to win the game, trying to get a goal.”